Drought in Hawaii, July 29 to 31, 2008

Name: Drought in Hawaii, July 29 to 31, 2008
Start: 2008-07-29T00:00
End: 2008-07-31T23:59
Location: Hawaii

July 29 to 31, 2008 · NWS HFO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The lack of adequate rainfall forced officials to impose water restrictions on another part of the Big Island of Hawaii.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS HFO wrote it up.

The lack of adequate rainfall forced officials to impose water restrictions on another part of the Big Island of Hawaii.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Honolulu, HI wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 28, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 28, 8:30 PM HST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
830 PM HST MON JUL 28 2008

.SYNOPSIS...
A RATHER WET TRADE WIND PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY...
WITH MOISTURE AND WIND SPEED EXPECTED TO DECREASE FROM WEDNESDAY
ONWARD. CLOUDS AND SHOWERS WILL FAVOR WINDWARD AND MAUKA AREAS...BUT
GUSTY TRADES WILL CARRY SHOWERS ACROSS LEEWARD SECTIONS OF THE
SMALLER ISLANDS AT TIMES AS WELL.
&&

.DISCUSSION...
HAVE MODIFIED THE QPF FIELDS...WITH HIGHER VALUES EXPECTED
TONIGHT...AND THEN A GRADUAL RETURN TO TYPICAL TRADE WIND VALUES
WEDNESDAY ONWARD. THE HIGHEST VALUES WILL BE OVER THE WINDWARD AND
MAUKA AREAS.

STILL GREAT MODEL AGREEMENT WITH THE HIGH TO OUR NORTH BEGINNING TO
MOVE TO THE WEST ON WEDNESDAY. THE RIDGE NORTH OF THE ISLANDS WILL
CONTINUE TO KEEP TRADES BLOWING THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK...BUT AS
THE HIGH MOVES WEST...EXPECT WIND SPEEDS TO WEAKEN.

WINDS OVER HALEAKALA ARE CURRENTLY BELOW THE 30 MPH ADVISORY
CRITERIA...BUT THE MODELS SHOW THE WINDS WILL PICK UP AGAIN
TONIGHT....AND PERSIST THROUGH THE DAY ON TUESDAY. HEADING INTO
TUESDAY NIGHT AND THEN INTO WEDNESDAY...WE SHOULD SEE THE WINDS FALL
BACK TO AROUND 20 MPH. THUS THE ADVISORY CONTINUES FOR HALEAKALA
THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.

THE MODELS BRING REMNANT MOISTURE FROM FORMER EAST PACIFIC TROPICAL
CYCLONE GENEVIEVE TO THE BIG ISLAND BY SATURDAY NIGHT.
ADDITIONALLY...THE MODELS ARE NOW SHOWING A LOW FAR NORTH OF THE
ISLANDS DIGGING DOWN...WHICH WOULD FURTHER WEAKEN THE TRADE FLOW
OVER THE ISLANDS. WILL BE FURTHER EXAMINING BOTH OF THESE SITUATIONS
LATER TONIGHT TO DETERMINE WHAT...IF ANY...CHANGES ARE NEEDED IN THE
FORECAST AT THIS POINT IN TERMS OF BOTH RAINFALL AND WINDS.

&&

.MARINE...
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON
FOR ALL BUT LEEWARD WATERS AS GUSTY TRADE WINDS CONTINUE.

BUOY DATA SHOWS THE SOUTHWEST SWELL HAS SUFFICIENT ENERGY TO PRODUCE
ADVISORY LEVEL SURF ALONG SOUTH FACING SHORES. THE SWELL WILL PERSIS
INTO WEDNESDAY...BUT SURF SHOULD DROP BELOW CRITERIA LEVELS BY NOON
TUESDAY. OTHER SIGNIFICANT SWELLS ARE EXPECTED THIS WEEK.

&&

.HFO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WIND ADVISORY THROUGH 600 PM HST TUESDAY FOR HALEAKALA SUMMIT.

SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY THROUGH 600 PM HST TUESDAY FOR ALL CHANNELS AND
WATERS EXCEPT FOR WATERS LEE OF KAUAI...OAHU AND MAUI COUNTY.

HIGH SURF ADVISORY THROUGH NOON TUESDAY FOR SOUTH-FACING SHORES OF
ALL ISLANDS.
&&

Event by event

1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, South Big Island

When: July 29, 12:00 AM HST to July 31, 11:59 PM HST
Where: South Big Island forecast zone
Reported by: County Official

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Hawaii in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Hawaii, July 2008

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 121203.